Instead, of 14-week semesters we have 10-week quarters which can be challenging at times but I feel I am more driven to stay on top of things and my time management skills have greatly improved. The structure of Drexel is quite different from other schools and much more fast-paced.
COUNSELING COLLEGES FREE
When colleges shift their focus to population health and prevention, in my view it should lead to an improvement in the health and well-being of students and free up counseling centers to treat the students most in need of mental health support.Junior: I really enjoy attending Drexel University because of the lively and motivating atmosphere of the city campus s well as the multitude of opportunities that are available. These wellness campaigns are aspirational at the moment, but I am currently working with several colleges to make these campaigns a reality. The campus should advertise their vision and initiatives to get the message out to all members of the community.
COUNSELING COLLEGES HOW TO
Students, faculty and staff should be trained in how to work together to improve the mental health of everyone on campus, including identifying others in distress, intervening with them and referring them to help. Launch wellness campaignsĬolleges should create a wellness campaign. Promoting resources for early intervention in these areas can help students cope with stress and build time management skills. This suggests that colleges should look at the factors that are contributing to stress – such as substance use, discrimination, assaults and the pressure around figuring out one’s major and career – and then work to reduce their influence. Research shows that helping many people lower their risk improves the benefit for the larger population more than focusing on those at the highest risk. For an example of a program designed to increase social support in high schools and one that could work for colleges, see the Sources of Strength program. A web-based portal can tell students where to locate campus-based support services, such as coaches, advisers and counselors, or peer-to-peer education and support and skill-building groups. For example, the campus could create a decision tree that helps students identify when and where to reach out to get help with their specific concerns. Provide stress-management resourcesĬolleges and universities should create processes and tools for students to improve their ability to manage stress. There’s such an online portal – known as the Student Resilience Project – at the university where I teach, and results are promising. Campuses could help motivate and encourage students to monitor their progress through creating an online portal where students can access tools, such as those promoting skill development in the areas of mindfulness, time management and career reflection. By empowering students with increased self-knowledge, they can more adeptly identify problems early and access supportive resources. Empower studentsĬolleges must help students assess their strengths and overall resilience. To improve the overall health of their population of students, here are four areas where I think colleges should focus. Students need alternate ways beyond college counseling centers to address their mental health needs.īy being more proactive and equipping students to deal with mental health issues before they become too large to manage, fewer students will need crisis services – and those that need them will be able to get them sooner – because more students will have the tools to work through their problems earlier on their own. Even if they do, it still might not be enough. Some college campuses may add counseling staff to try to meet the increased demand for counseling centers, but not all campuses can afford to do this. For instance, over 80% of students who think about suicide during college had first thought about suicide before college.
Students are also coming to college with preexisting mental health challenges. The college experience is not the only factor, however. Contributing factors include distressing and traumatic circumstances during college, such as assaults, in addition to academic performance demands. The American College Health Association found in 2019 that over the past year, 87% of college students felt overwhelmed by all they had to do, 66% felt overwhelming anxiety, 56% felt things were hopeless and 13% seriously considered suicide. Student mental health distress has escalated to high levels nationally.
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